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UNB announces Currie Scholars for 2018-19

For more than a decade, the Currie Scholarships have recognized the significant and important contributions made by Atlantic Canadian students to their high schools and communities.

The scholarships, valued at $65,000 each, were established by Dr. Richard J. Currie, UNB’s Chancellor Emeritus and one of Canada’s most accomplished business leaders and philanthropists. The goal is to salute Atlantic Canadian students for their community dedication, leadership skills and academic success.

This year’s recipients – Alexandre Banks, Mackenzie Comeau, Cassie Doiron, and Mila Veljanovska – are outstanding examples of students who have made meaningful contributions to their communities and reflect the values Dr. Currie outlined when the scholarship was established.

Alexandre Banks, a Grade 12 student at Harbour View High School, has served as vice-president of finance for the student council and played on numerous sports teams. Alexandre is a member of the ME to WE service group and the Best Buddies program, amongst others. He has earned awards for leadership, extracurricular involvement and compassion for his community.

Mackenzie Comeau will graduate from St. Malachy’s High School, where, along with being assistant captain of the hockey team, he was a co-leader of the Cultural Fusion Study and Social Cohesion Group and has served as coordinator of the English Language Learners Study Hall Group. He volunteers with Horizon Health and PRUDE Inc., in addition to participating in Encounters with Canada in Ottawa and WE Day in Halifax.

Cassie Doiron is a senior student at Bluefield High School, where she coordinated activities as part of a student wellness group and participated in the school’s innovation club. She also played field hockey, rugby and badminton at the varsity level and is a member of the Mid Isle Wildcats midget AAA hockey team. She volunteered as a minor hockey coach, is a Level 3 hockey official and assisted as a tutor with the Bluefield Math Zone.

Mila Veljanovska will graduate from École Samuel-de-Champlain, where she has volunteered for the Kerbal Space Program, TEDx, Creative-Lab and Improv clubs. She has competed in varsity soccer and competitive judo, plays the violin for the Anglophone South School District Senior Orchestra and volunteers for the Saint John Regional Hospital.

Alexandre, Mackenzie and Cassie will enroll in UNB’s engineering program while Mila will begin her studies in science.

The Currie Scholarships are awarded to students beginning a degree program at UNB upon graduation from a high school in any of the four Atlantic provinces. These scholarships are intended to support the education of future leaders.

Dr. Currie started university at UNB as a Beaverbrook Scholar and attained an MBA from Harvard. He served as UNB Chancellor from 2003 to 2013 and in May 2014 was named Chancellor Emeritus. Dr. Currie played a fundamental role in the development, design and financing of the state-of-the-art Richard J. CURRIE CENTER on UNB’s Fredericton campus. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a member of the Order of New Brunswick and a Companion of the Canadian Business Hall of Fame.